Carnivorous Journey

​This is our first of hopefully many species profiles. In essence, species profiles will include a generous amount of growing information about a particular species, including tips, our experiences, and photos. Please let us know if you find this article helpful. I hope you enjoy!

Some general information on Utricularia:Since we haven't talked much about Utricularia​ on our blog, I'll write a quick overview of the genus. Utricularia (bladderworts) is a genus of over 200 carnivorous plants. While very diverse, all Utricularia essentially share the same underlying structure. They have a network of underground stems (known as a stolons) that grow under the soil surface for terrestrial species, along supports (usually mossy tree trunks, rocks, etc.) for epiphytes, and free-floating for aquatic species. Attached to the stolon are small bladders, which are sealed with a "trapdoor." Water is pumped outside of the bladder, leaving the interior of the bladder with negative pressure relative to the outside and creating a partial vacuum. The outside of each trapdoor contains trigger hairs, much like a Venus fly trap (although the trigger hairs of Utricularia are purely mechanical in nature, in contrast to those of Venus fly traps, which work on irritability). When these hairs are touched, the trapdoor opens and the vacuum sucks in the nearby prey, usually consisting of protozoa and other soil inhabitants. In order to photosynthesize, the stolons produce leaf shoots that penetrate the soil surface.

Overview of U. alpina and sect. Orchidioides​​:U. alpina is a member of Utricularia section Orchidioides, a specific group of primarily epiphytic species that grow in South America and have exceptionally showy flowers (hence the name of the section). Many growers claim to have difficulty with plants from this section; they certainly can be quite temperamental! However, U. alpina is by far the easiest of the group and is an excellent way to get your feet wet with epiphytic Utricularia before jumping into more difficult and expensive species. In addition to being an excellent beginner epiphytic Utricularia, U. alpina also has exceptionally large flowers and traps when compared to nearly every other Utricularia​!

The traps of U. alpina, visible along a stolon protruding from the pot. This photo was taken with 10X zoom.

The foliage of U. alpina. While not present in this photo, some leaves on this plant have been close to 4 inches long in the past.

More bladders, taken with 40X zoom.

Light, Temperature, Humidity, and Media:​Like all members of Orchidioides, U. alpina is essentially a highland plant. In terms of culture requirements, it should be happy with essentially any Highland Nepenthes or Heliamphora. Specifically, U. alpina will appreciate daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 27 Celsius) and humidity greater than 60%. With careful acclimating it may be possible to grow U. alpina in slightly lower humidity levels, as I have seen growers keep them successfully on windowsills before. At night, the temperatures should drop a minimum of 10 to 15 degrees for long-term success. I have grown my plants both in low light and bright light. They seemed to do fine in both, with far larger leaves being developed in low light. If moving your plant to brighter light, make sure to do so gradually; I made the mistake of moving mine with no acclimation, which caused a great deal of leaves to brown.

U. alpina, like other Orchioides Utricularia, appreciates a light, airy, moist mix that does not tend to stay saturated for long (although U. alpina does tend to be more forgiving of errors regarding moisture levels than some of the pickier species in this section). Growing many of these species in net pots is not a bad idea as the stolons appreciate good air circulation. Most growers have success with combinations of long-fibered Sphagnum moss, live Sphagnum, and aggregates such as bark chunks and perlite. My U. alpina really enjoys the 100% live Sphagnum mix that it's in. ​

Flowering and Reproduction:​U. alpina is great in that it can flower very often without necessarily requiring seasonal triggers. I know of some growers whose plants are basically in flower all of the time. A stalk will emerge from the soil surface and gradually elongate until it reaches close to 1 foot in length. Flowers will gradually open and remain opened for quite some time. My flowers have all topped out between 2 and 3 inches -- I don't think I've seen any pictures of flowers much larger than that either.

U. alpina must be manually pollinated to produce seed. You cannot self-pollinate with pollen from the same flower, but you can use pollen from other flowers on the same stalk. In order to collect pollen, lift the top flap of the flower. Using a toothpick, collect pollen from the yellow part (visible to the right). You can either save it for later or place it on the stigma (green part) of another flower. I have no experience storing Utricularia pollen, so I cannot comment on the process or whether or not it is successful.

As I've heard, Utricularia seeds are quite small and must be sown fairly quickly after harvest in order to have success. I have yet to take the time to pollinate these flowers, but I hope to do so soon and hopefully collect some seed.

This flower is around 2.5" across!

The reproductive parts of U. alpina, hidden inside of the flower.

More flower pictures! I really like this plant...

Final Notes:In conclusion, U. alpina is a fairly tolerant epiphytic species (when given proper conditions) with extremely beautiful flowers. It's an excellent starting point before moving into the more difficult species, like U. quelchii, which Alvin will likely write a species profile on in the coming months. Lastly, if you've recently ordered a U. alpina and it looks like crap, don't fret! My plant looked quite miserable for a few months after arrival. Nearly all species in section Orchidioides are sensitive to changes in conditions and take a bit of time to recover.

On September 9th, Alvin and I traveled to Boylston, Massachusetts to vend plants at the Annual Fall New England Carnivorous Plant Society Show. It was a fantastic time; plenty of well-grown plants were on display. There were interesting lectures and the grounds of Tower Hill Botanical Garden (the show's location) were absolutely breathtaking. Best of all, there were lots of people in attendance that seemed eager to learn about and grow CPs!

Here are some of my favorite pictures (which were all taken by Alvin... unfortunately my camera malfunctioned). You can view the whole gallery here.

Note: The majority of the plants on this post are not ours. All growers are given credit in the captions! (I've also added some of my own remarks. - Alvin)

Until next time,​Dan

H. nutans giant form, grown by George Newman

H. folliculata, George Newman.

N. edwardsiana, grown by Dom Gravine. 4 eddies were on display - as a friend of mine remarked, we need more Drosera!

H. tatei, grown by George Newman. This thing easily towered over all of the other Helis, and some of the Sarracenia as well.

H. minor, grown by our very own Alvin Liu (should've brought mine to one up him)

D. regia, grown by Jeff Matteson (this thing has a huge stem that isn't visible in this photo... absolutely awesome)

D. lusitanicum, grown by Don Gallant

H. sarracenioides, grown by Dom Gravine

S. purpurea ssp. purpurea f. heterophylla, grown by George Newman

S. psittacina var. psittacina f. viridescens, George Newman

N. 'The Succubus', grown by Jeff Matteson

S. rosea, grown by Jeff Matteson

S. purpurea ssp. purpurea, grown by Steve Branchaud. The pitchers on this particular plant were incredibly long, definitely one of the largest purpurea ssp. purpurea forms I've seen.

S. 'Hammer's Hammerhead', grown by Jeff Matteson. The cross is (psittacina x alabamensis) x alabamensis. I don't normally like psittacina crosses too much but this one is really nice.

I had the wonderful opportunity to pay a visit to the Native Exotics facilities this weekend. Ryan is an incredibly knowledgeable grower and his plants were both numerous and amazingly well-grown. If you have not purchased from or interacted with Native Exotics yet I highly recommend you do, as the time and effort that Ryan puts into the upkeep of both his sales plants and personal collection is evident. ​

​Here are some of the highlights from the visit. For all of the photos from the visit, check out the gallery here.

​-Alvin

Hello!

A bunch of Nepenthes in vitro, started from both seed and meristem cultures.

Some of the first D. magnifica to enter cultivation. Very exciting things are coming to the CP world!

Tuberous 'dews. These guys still make tubers in vitro.

These Drosera regia cultures looked about ready to start acclimating to life outside of the bubble.

Some of NE's Cephalotus clones.

This Sarracenia purpurea clone caught my eye.

The greenhouse! (or part of it)

The first plant I noticed when I walked in was this fantastic N. lingulata from EP.

What a spectacular species.

A ~13-year old Nepenthes villosa in the chest freezer with other highland friends.

Toothy!

A nice and chunky N. ventricosa x Tiveyi from EP.

Vining N. aristolochioides.

N. burbidgeae x edwardsiana (or villosa, perhaps) that still carried a tag from Tony Paroubek's nursery. I believe this particular individual was Paul Barden's old plant. The pitchers on this hybrid are very stiff and sturdy.

N. argentii! Can't wait for these to be distributed.

A nice N. stenophylla pitcher hiding behind a tangle of vines.

EP's N. lowii x Gothica, Ryan dubs it "warped peristome".

Classic N. rajah.

N. hamata never gets old. Some N. mikei pitchers are visible to the left.

And of course, the obligatory uppers. Apparently when the weather is cooler the uppers on this plants can get far larger than the pitchers in this photo.

While we're talking about N. hamata, this N. hamata x veitchii from BE was particularly nice.

This must be one of the largest N. klossii in cultivation in the US at the moment. BE has finally released a new batch of this species, so the hiatus is finally over!

A nice and squat N. veitchii from Pa Umor I believe. Can you spot the N. tenuis pitcher?

N. veitchii HL x burbidgeae, another EP creation.

There were a bunch of nice SG eddies scattered about too.

Big tub o' Heliamphora.

Nice phat N. robcantleyi.

N. jacquelineae hybrid, the peristome on this plant really darkens up over time.

N. jacquelineae makes some fantastic hybrids. This time I remembered the ID - N. lowii x jacquelineae from EP

An odd species that prefers the shade, you don't see this one around too often - N. rhombicaulis

Assorted sales plants.

Big tray of EP N. truncata! The more truncata the better.

Orchioides Utricularia hanging out under the benches. Many of the U. alpina were in bloom. The Aussie Queensland Drosera were also hanging out under here.

In order to celebrate the recent launching of the Carnivorous Journey Facebook page, we've decided to give away one of my Drosera regia pictured below. There are some requirements if you'd like to enter though! You must: 1) Like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarnivorusJourney/ 2) comment that you would like to enter on the giveaway post on that page 3) have a valid US shipping address and 4) be prepared to do your homework and research how to properly care for one of these, if you don't know how to already (cultural information for D. regia may be found on this blog). The winner will be chosen via random number generator on July the 20th at around 12:00PM EST and notified via PM. Shipping costs are on us. Good luck, and thank you for all the support we've received so far!

My pot of D. regia enjoying the sun outside. These plants have more than doubled in size since they were purchased.

To the novice grower scrolling through endless photo threads in hopes of improving their species identification abilities (you know we've all been there), there is little more eye-catching than a well-grown pot of mature D. regia - its common moniker "the King Sundew" is certainly warranted! I too fell into this trap and began to want this species soon after I started growing. However, relatively high online prices and nightmare stories of plants that had died overnight caused me to hold off. Due to a great deal at the NECPS show, I acquired a pot of several small plants and hoped for the best (pictured on the left, now much larger).

I think that lots of people find D. regia to be so frustrating because they try to grow it like their other Drosera. In reality, Drosera regia is only distantly related to other sundews (some people actually believe that it should be separated into its own genus entirely) and has cultivation requirements that closely resemble those of Heliamphora and Highland Nepenthes. Under the correct conditions, this species has actually been very hardy and tolerant for me. Still, being that plants online can sell for close to $40, I wouldn't recommend this species to someone that hasn't grown a decent amount of Drosera already.

The most foremost difference between D. regia and other sundews is its appreciation for soil fertilization. While soil fertilization isn't necessary, this species has a huge appetite and I've found it much more visually appealing to fertilize through the roots rather than constantly having every single leaf curled up with prey. I use diluted 25% urea-free orchid fertilizer and the plants seem to enjoy it (this is the same concoction that I use on all of my other CPs that like to be fertilized). I definitely wouldn't suggest placing this species in the same tray as other Drosera, since fertilizer leakage will probably lead to dead plants and lots of tears (it's okay, I'm sure you'll find a new D. capensis).

I keep my D. regia in my HL terrarium, where temperatures never really get above the upper 70s. Given the origin of this species (fairly high elevations in South Africa), I wouldn't suggest letting temperatures get too high. My nighttime temperatures drop down to the low 60s, which the plants definitely seem to enjoy.

I'd imagine that a big drop at night, as well as keeping the roots cool, can help offset daytime conditions that are a tad too hot. Other growers have reported that excessively cold temperatures can trigger dormancy, but, since dormancy isn't required, I maintain the same temperature conditions year-round (which probably isn't very feasible if you grow them in a greenhouse in a temperate climate).

I've kept my plants in both the most humid (70%+) and the least humid (around 40%) parts of the terrarium. To be quite honest, they didn't really seem to have a discernible preference. So long as other conditions are favorable, it doesn't seem to me as though humidity is overall a major factor in cultivation success.

Leaf closeup. Lots of dew!

Like Heliamphora, this species appreciates a well-draining, airy medium. Anything with a decent amount of perlite or sand should be fine. In addition, live sphagnum can be used as a top dressing to help keep root temperatures low. I water these plants like all of my other Drosera (moist, not excessively wet), and have never had any problems. I've heard of some growers having issues with rot, but I expect that it's completely avoidable if the plants aren't over-watered.

Light is pretty self-explanatory. Like pretty much most CPs (with the exception of D. schizandra and maybe a few others), bright light is pretty much a requirement. I keep my plants under T5HOs year-round. This isn't really a species that'll color up too much; even growers that keep their plants under strong, direct natural sunlight may only get significant reddish hues in the tentacles or at the bases of the leaves.

The overall takeaway from this should be that, given the right conditions (bright light, cool temperatures, airy media), D. regia can actually be a fairly fast-growing and tolerant species. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the best species out there, and anybody contemplating whether or not they should cultivate it should bite the bullet and give it a try - you won't regret it! I'll now pass the mic over to Alvin, who's going to speak about his experiences propagating D. regia.

​- Dan ​

​Despite the relatively high prices it commands in the market, D. regia is actually quite easy to propagate. The two methods used most often (aside from those with access to tissue culture equipment) are by seed and root cuttings.

D. regia seed is quite unlike other Drosera seed in that it does not require a magnifying glass in order to view in detail - they are, in fact, quite large! This also means that funny mistakes like dropping an open seed packet will be less likely to make you curse in frustration as with other Drosera seed (not that I've ever done anything like spill packets of seed all over myself, that would be silly!). Sow seeds on the surface of medium that you would grow adult plants in and give them the same conditions that a growing plant would expect. They germinate usually within 2-4 weeks, often quicker than many subtropical Drosera. No stratification or special treatment to induce germination is necessary. After the seedlings have developed a number of true leaves they will need to be heavily and constantly fed.

These young D. regia were started from seed and are about 10 months old now. They are growing in 100% LFS with a live Sphagnum top dressing. The top dressing is not necessary but I like how it looks.

D. regia seed, 40X. These things are enormous compared to other Drosera seeds!

D. regia has exceptionally handsome mucous globules in my opinion.

I apply crushed beta fish food pellets to the leaves and fertilize the plants via the roots with the same concentration of orchid fertilizer I use on Nepenthes and Heliamphora. Other growers prefer Osmocote or satisfy their ghoulish desires by supplying the plants with live insects and

watching the leaves dramatically curl over the hapless creature over the course of several hours. It does not matter as long as the plants are getting a suitable amount of nutrients. Some growers report that this species is difficult from seed since their seedlings tend to die after they have developed a number of true leaves. I think that this is likely a result of the seedlings starving to death as I have never had this problem. ​​

Small plantlet from a root cutting

D. regia has thick, fleshy roots that are ideal for root cuttings. If you are ever in a situation where the roots of a healthy plant are exposed (i.e. repotting) and you have the opportunity and desire to lop off a few, taking a few cuttings is an excellent way to get a number of large plants quickly. When I propagated this species from root cuttings in the past I chopped the roots into segments about 1'' long , laid them on the surface of some moist Sphagnum, and covered them with a few sprigs of Sphagnum (enough to keep the cuttings hydrated but still allow light to penetrate through to them). Plantlets started developing from the roots after around 2 weeks for me. Plants from root cuttings will attain a larger size more quickly than plants from seed.

Additionally, if you have a larger plant that is declining in health for some reason, root cuttings may be used as a final resort to propagate it before it croaks as long as there are still healthy roots.

My original D. schizandra some time ago, several months after receiving it as a small 1'' plantlet

Drosera schizandra is one of the first Drosera species that actually stuck in my head when I first started getting into CPs (I think it was the novelty of owning what looks like carnivorous lettuce from a place called "Wooroonooran National Park" that really got to me - the Aussies really do have brilliant names for some places). Despite its position near the top of my want list however, I held off getting this species initially for two reasons: 1), all sources I could find pointed to it being a tricky grower not suited to the noob who had yet to grow D. adelae or D. prolifera and 2), I simply couldn't find it for sale anywhere for what I was willing to pay. I did eventually manage to locate a small one for a good deal however, and although I had no prior experience with any of the Queensland sisters, I impulsively bought it anyway. Luckily it survived, and I've propagated that clone dozens of times now.

​D. schizandra is typically considered to be the most difficult of the three Queensland sisters to grow (hence the order of progression recommended by most starting with D. adelae), but growing D. adelae and D. prolifera first is certainly not a prerequisite for growing this species successfully - I know people who have killed heaps of D. adelae but grow D. schizandra very well. That being said, I wouldn't recommend this species for a fresh CP noob without experience with Drosera at all, as in most cases I suspect that would result in frustration and wasted dollars.

​D. schizandra usually grows in shady understory in nature, and this is reflected in its lower light requirements than other CPs. This is one of the few species that can perform well on a windowsill that receives mostly indirect light, given that it is kept reasonably cool (it does still require a decent amount of light however, you cannot simply shove it into a dark corner). I have tried this species under both natural light and artificial light from T5s and have noticed that it tends to burn easily (in my conditions, at least) when exposed to high light without acclimation. I would avoid placing it under very strong lighting if it is your first time growing it, at least until you have extras to experiment on.

In terms of temperature, the clone I grow seems to prefer cooler temperatures suitable for most highland Nepenthes. Originally I kept some plants in a tank that would reach excesses of 85F or more during very hot summer days - after about a week of this the plants lost their dew and crapped out on me. The individuals that grow well for me are kept at temperatures that never exceed 75F with about a 5-10F drop at night. I don't think that having a temperature drop at night it vital as long as the plants aren't kept too warm during the day. I have not tested the lower end of this plant's temperature tolerance but you certainly should not allow it to get anywhere near freezing. Depending on where you live, a cool windowsill may offer the temperature range that this species enjoys.

D. schizandra grows best for me under high humidity, although there are growers who have successfully grown it with typical room humidity levels. I grow all my plants in sealed terraria. The windowsill plants are kept out of too much direct sun to avoid cooking them, while the ones under T5s are kept about a foot away from the lights. Under my conditions the clone I have prefers Sphagnum as a substrate - whether it is live or not does not seem to have any significant impact on its growth. I like to top dress my media with live moss as I quite enjoy the aesthetics and fluffy feeling, but this is not necessary. I would advise using only high quality Sphagnum, none of that crud from Mosser Lee or something like that (I do know several growers who have managed this plant in peat-based mixes, but my attempts at that have resulted in less than satisfactory results). I keep my plants moist but not waterlogged. If you are growing them in drained pots, sitting them in a thin film of water should be fine. If you're growing them in planted tanks or the like, do not flood them as they do not take kindly to being drowned. D. schizandra, like other Drosera, is sensitive to water with high TDS.

These friends are growing in live Sphagnum in a sealed undrained tank under T5s.

These fellows are originally from leaf cuttings a few months ago and are grown on a basement windowsill.

Strikes on a small half-inch leaf

Although it can be a bit tricky to initially pin down the exact conditions this species needs, it is incredibly easy to propagate via leaf cuttings. I'm surprised that it's not more available in the US than it is at the moment (if you're now inspired to raise an army of these and flood the market with cheap D. schizandra in order to undercut competitors, don't tell them it was my idea). Select healthy leaves for your cuttings (it does not seem to matter if the leaf has dew or not as long as it's green, I get strikes on both), lay them on moist Sphagnum under conditions you would grow adult plants in, and wait. You should see little plantlets within a month or two. Depending on the size of the leaf you can get anywhere from two or three to over a dozen. Once the plantlets have formed roots it is safe to separate them.

I am currently looking for different clones of D. schizandra of seed-grown origin. If you have any and would like to work out a trade please let me know!

Hello fellow horticultists! I'm Alvin Liu, a high school student from NJ, and as of December 2016 I've been growing carnivorous plants for about 6 years (give or take a year or two). You may recognize some of my photos from my photo threads on the forums (rest in peace, for many people), Facebook groups, or my Plantstagram account - if that's the case, then it's great to see you here too! I decided to create this site with my colleague Dan to not only distill our collective experiences into a format that we could easily share with the community, but mostly also to document our findings, successes, and difficulties as we grow these botanical gems.

Disclaimer: As you're reading, please keep in mind that we are in no way master growers! The intent of this site is to share our horticultural journey with you as we inch up the learning curve, and our growing guides are here only to summarize our personal experience for newer growers or growers who might want a different outlook.

We'll update the blog as often as we can (or when something plant-related and mildly exciting happens to either of us). Most of the content will probably consist of Drosera (as that's what both of us tend to grow the most of), but we'll try to make sure the other genera we grow are fairly represented as well.

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter if you're interested or will be entertained by our mistakes (I assure you, there have been plenty of those already and there will be plenty more to go around)! I'll pass the mic over to Dan now.

Enjoy these random Drosera burmannii!

Greetings! For much of my life, I've had an interest for things that are "unique": reptiles, interesting fish, and, as per the name of this blog, carnivorous plants. Alvin introduced me to carnivorous plants around one year ago when he gave me a Drosera capensis. Prior to that, I had been maintaining a garden and some houseplants for quite some time. From there, my collection has grown substantially.

As Alvin has said, I hope that this website will help beginners and document our botanical happenings. I've found maintaining my plants to be an excellent destresser and I'd definitely recommend growing CPs to anybody looking to pick up an interesting hobby.